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US 9,090,246 B2Granted
Vehicle trajectory control system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMichael J. Cullen, Ralph Wayne Cunningham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for controlling a throttle plate to adjust airflow to the engine are provided. A transmission having an input speed and an output speed and including a clutch and a driver-selectable transmission lever is controlled to adjust engine speed to a synchronous speed in a future gear ratio in response to driver foot pedal positions and driver-selectable transmission lever positions.
Claims12
A method for controlling a spark-ignited engine coupled to an automatic transmission via a torque converter, comprising:
- during a first position of a driver foot pedal and during a manual gear ratio change to a future, lower gear in response to a change in a driver-selectable transmission lever, controlling engine speed to a synchronous speed in the future gear ratio by adjusting an engine operating parameter so that the engine speed is close to an engine speed that will be achieved after the gear change is completed;
- maintaining the engine speed at the close engine speed after the gear change is complete;
- and
- upon a second position of the driver foot pedal, the engine speed is changed to a different engine speed that is controlled by adjusting at least an electronically controlled throttle plate communicating with an intake manifold, where the electronically controlled throttle plate adjusts airflow to the engine, the automatic transmission including a plurality of manual driver-selectable discrete gear ratios.
1 more element
A system, comprising:
- an engine having an electronically controlled throttle plate communicating with an intake manifold to adjust airflow to the engine;
- an automatic transmission having an input speed and an output speed, the transmission coupled to the engine, the transmission including a plurality of manual driver-selectable discrete gear ratios;
- a driver-selectable transmission lever;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- during a manual gear ratio change to a future, lower gear in response to a change in the driver-selectable transmission lever, control engine speed to a synchronous speed in the future, lower gear ratio by adjusting an engine operating parameter so that the engine speed is close to an engine speed that will be achieved after the gear change is completed, and maintain the engine speed at the close engine speed after the change to the lower gear until a change in position of a driver foot pedal, where engine speed is controlled by adjusting at least the electronically controlled throttle plate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.